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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aibu - really worried I’ve started a war

113 replies

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 21:06

so I met this woman I liked (we were both married). She was my therapist at the time and we ended up having a bit of a weird dynamic, nothing sexual happened but lines were definitely crossed, tbink whatsapping me hotels, trying to choose my nanny, wearing revealing clothing, asking me every week if I’d made my decision about leaving my husband, talking about trips we would take together etc. maybe we got a bit bffs maybe we were having an emotional affair. Idk.

My husband and I were in a very toxic relationship. He held me down and suffocated me. When I disclosed it to her, she encouraged me not to report and instead tried to help me to leave him on my terms - or so I thought.
It all came to a head. She had been encouraging me to take a trip away from my husband and children for my well-being. When I got back, my husband and I had another terrible fight and he really hurt me. I messaged her and got really angry with her. I told her I didn’t want her to be my therapist and blamed her for not reporting the initial violence. I said she had put me and my children at risk and threatened to report her. She apologised, said she had only been trying to help and then ghosted me.
A week or so later, I apologised and asked to see her again to sort it out (I felt like I’d blamed her for something that wasn’t really her fault). She ghosted me. I left my husbands, I tried to move on with my life and respected her wishes.

Five months later, she started popping up again in WhatsApp group chats (we are part of a small community, both our children were similar ages). One of them was a group for single mums. I just ignored her at first, thought she was just reintegrating in the community and tried to peacefully coexist.

Then she got weird. In a chat thread I’d already commented on, she posted about domestic violence, even though it hadn’t been explicitly mentioned. She encouraged someone to report domestic violence, the exact opposite of what she told me to do at the time. Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t in the vibe of the conversation and the other mothers shot her down. She ended up leaving this group in the end.

However she stayed in some other groups and then when my best friend asked for a recommendation, she told her to message her. This is when I snapped. I genuinely felt baited by this point - bff and I are publicly besties and everyone knows. There’s no way ex therapist couldn’t have.

I asked for a recommendation about something, framing it as a joke. I didn’t mention any names but it specifically pointed at something incriminating I knew she had done. Nobody else did and thought it was hilarious - I got a lot of laughing emoji reactions. I expected her to block me and leave the groups. She read the messages but didn’t do anything else.

My friend said that ex-therapist probably really liked me and wanted to check in on me. So I apologised and sent a very nice message to her, nothing incriminating, just offering peace and to clear the air if she wanted. She didn’t reply but on the same days is reading my group chat messages, as if to make a point of saying ‘I’m ignoring you.’ She hasn’t left groups, hasnt blocked me, hasnt sent a brief message saying ‘all good vibes let’s move on separately’ (which, considering the likelihood of bumping in to each other, imo would be the most professional thing to do).

Did I overreact in this situation? Have I been the asshole? Or was I justified? Do you think she will just ghost me again now or have I started a war? And am I being a complete drama llama about this whole thing in the first place?

OP posts:
OrangeSlices998 · 09/04/2025 21:09

She absolutely crossed a professional line as a therapist, she needs reporting.

Clarinet1 · 09/04/2025 21:11

Any therapist who behaved the way she did about suggesting hotels etc. is totally unethical and unprofessional. If she is a member of a professional body report her and block her.

Edit - cross posted with above who seems to agree.

Idontknowhatnametochoose · 09/04/2025 21:15

She was in a position of power as your therapist and she has abused it by causing you significant emotional harm and even potentially putting you in danger. She is a dangerous woman. Don't engage with her, she is at fault. She needs reporting to Bacp or whatever her governing body is.

supercatlady · 09/04/2025 21:35

When you say suggesting hotels, was it along the lines of
you- I’m thinking of visiting York
her - I stayed in a lovely hotelthere, I’ll send the link?

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 21:39

supercatlady · 09/04/2025 21:35

When you say suggesting hotels, was it along the lines of
you- I’m thinking of visiting York
her - I stayed in a lovely hotelthere, I’ll send the link?

Yes exactly like that

OP posts:
Doggard · 09/04/2025 21:41

By therapist I'm assuming you mean beauty therapist who chatted to you while doing your eyebrows? Because if you're talking about counselling or psychologist then everything here is wrong.

Mirabai · 09/04/2025 22:02

I don’t know anyone in rl who gets into these kinds of scrapes, only on MN.

She’s a dreadful toxic boundary crossing clueless therapist, if she really is one, . She needs reporting to her professional body, assuming she is even registered. Not sure why that’s not already been done.

Namechangetry · 09/04/2025 22:13

The fuck have I just read? Report her to BACP or whatever body she's under and don't engage with her in any way from now on.

findingnibbles · 09/04/2025 22:15

Clicked to check if it was Donald Trump posting.

Report her to the BACP.

JockTamsonsBairns · 09/04/2025 22:19

No professional therapist is in WhatsApp chat groups with their clients.

Lavender14 · 09/04/2025 22:25

It sounds like she's got massively over involved with you- she crossed lots of lines and ultimately by encouraging you not to report the dv she put you and your kids in danger. She was lucky you didn't report her.

However you called her out, and now you're using shared spaces to make secret digs at her and you're wondering why she's not getting back in touch with you?

You weren't friends op. You received a (bad) service from her which is now finished and I think you need to move on and leave it be. Report her to whatever accredited body she was working under

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 22:28

Doggard · 09/04/2025 21:41

By therapist I'm assuming you mean beauty therapist who chatted to you while doing your eyebrows? Because if you're talking about counselling or psychologist then everything here is wrong.

No an actual bps therapist.

a bit shocked by everyone telling me to report. This woman has children. I don’t want to put them through this.

OP posts:
Namechangetry · 09/04/2025 22:35

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 22:28

No an actual bps therapist.

a bit shocked by everyone telling me to report. This woman has children. I don’t want to put them through this.

Oh well just let her carry on telling DV victims not to leave until a woman or her children are killed then. That's better than putting her children through what exactly? Most she'll get is struck off from her professional body and have to do a different job, it's not a prison offense!

findingnibbles · 09/04/2025 22:36

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 22:28

No an actual bps therapist.

a bit shocked by everyone telling me to report. This woman has children. I don’t want to put them through this.

The worst they could do is kick her out of whatever professional body she voluntarily belongs to (they won’t, they are toothless). Therapy is unregulated (unbelievably), so it’s not possible for her to be struck off. Your sense of responsibility for her personal circumstance is also misplaced and just demonstrates further how inappropriate her behaviour has been – any consequences she faces for her professional misconduct are her responsibility and hers alone to bear. A client should not know so much about their therapist on a personal level and should not feel the need to worry about the therapist’s wellbeing. Again, this reflects the boundaries she has crossed and how she has mismanaged the relationship. It’s not a reflection on you.

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 22:59

Namechangetry · 09/04/2025 22:35

Oh well just let her carry on telling DV victims not to leave until a woman or her children are killed then. That's better than putting her children through what exactly? Most she'll get is struck off from her professional body and have to do a different job, it's not a prison offense!

Fair point

OP posts:
FagsMagsandBags · 09/04/2025 23:07

This woman needs to be reported and struck off, or whatever happens to therapists who cross every professional line and should not be doing the job they're intrusted with!

TheSilentSister · 09/04/2025 23:09

You should definitely report for what she said to you in one to one therapy.
Plus she crossed a boundary when she continued to be a member of a forum you were on. She hasn't acted professionally at all.
You gave her the option to clear the air but she's ignored you.
Not your problem but if she can affect you like this, if she's not stopped, she could do it to others.

findingnibbles · 09/04/2025 23:10

FagsMagsandBags · 09/04/2025 23:07

This woman needs to be reported and struck off, or whatever happens to therapists who cross every professional line and should not be doing the job they're intrusted with!

I hear the BACP ask them to write essays reflecting on what happened! 🤦🏻 I would report if only for the admin and inconvenience.

Ohnobackagain · 09/04/2025 23:13

@joao2570 I’d be making new groups and inviting in the other members, if she has joined yours to kind of watch you and BF. She sounds very weird. I’d have no further contact with her.

ChompandaGrazia · 09/04/2025 23:14

I think you might have been reading far too much into the interactions between you. Suggesting hotels that you might like for a holiday is very different to suggesting hotels to go to together. What do you mean about ‘trying to choose your nanny’? Could she be wearing revealing clothes because she liked them? Asking if you have left your husband sounds like a normal thing for the therapist to ask.

The rest of it seems odd but I think the attraction might have been one sided.

SugarPlumpFairyCakes · 09/04/2025 23:16

She's bang out of order and very weird.

I would avoid her socially at all costs.

Don't contact her in any way at all. She's strange and manipulative.

menopausalfart · 09/04/2025 23:17

You don't want to put her children through this, what about the people who go to see her for help?
She needs to be reported.

Fadesto · 09/04/2025 23:19

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 22:28

No an actual bps therapist.

a bit shocked by everyone telling me to report. This woman has children. I don’t want to put them through this.

I’m shocked you’re shocked.

joao2570 · 09/04/2025 23:31

ChompandaGrazia · 09/04/2025 23:14

I think you might have been reading far too much into the interactions between you. Suggesting hotels that you might like for a holiday is very different to suggesting hotels to go to together. What do you mean about ‘trying to choose your nanny’? Could she be wearing revealing clothes because she liked them? Asking if you have left your husband sounds like a normal thing for the therapist to ask.

The rest of it seems odd but I think the attraction might have been one sided.

Ok so I agree, and I was doubting myself. So I sent her an email about how much I adored my cleaner (a very hot 20 something who is like my surrogate daughter) to see how she would react and she tried to get me to sack her. She’d found Nannie’s and cleaners and was sending them to me via WhatsApp. I’m not even sure I was attracted to her. I certainly adored her as a person and valued her support.

completely agree though that the other things are all explainable. That’s why I said specifically I wasn’t sure whether we’d gotten to bffs or had an emotional affair. I just knew the dynamic was weird

OP posts:
joao2570 · 09/04/2025 23:32

findingnibbles · 09/04/2025 23:10

I hear the BACP ask them to write essays reflecting on what happened! 🤦🏻 I would report if only for the admin and inconvenience.

This reassures me. I don’t want her to lose her job but I do want her to think more carefully about the impact her behaviour has in the future

OP posts: